Lockdown late risers shouldn ’ t fear return to normal sleep patterns
The pandemic has had an impact on sleep , but the body will adjust as workers go back to the office
The pandemic has not just changed many people ’ s waking lives , it ’ s also having a big impact on how we sleep . Faced with weeks and months of working from home , large sections of the population have found that their sleep patterns have changed significantly .
Whereas most office workers try to manage their sleep balance much like their bank accounts , making small deposits then big withdrawals , people have over the last 18 months been getting much more sleep than they ’ re accustomed to , especially in countries that have undergone a series of lockdowns .
But as normal life re-emerges through mass vaccination , will sleep patterns also return to normal ?
A study by German sleep expert Thomas Kantermann shed some interesting light on the matter this year . He observed in the journal Current Biology that before the pandemic many people were wishing for greater flexibility to work from home , more time with loved ones , and perhaps more sleep too .
Since the start of the pandemic , lockdowns have become a part of our normal life , forcing us to work from home while also giving us more time to spend with family . In terms of sleep , Swiss researchers say that lockdowns have resulted in us getting more sleep on average . This is because , for many people , there ’ s a mismatch between internal body time and the social world we live in .
�reater flexibility in work arrangements and not needing to commute to work mean that people have greater ability to sleep in line with their circadian rhythm , or body clock , rather than a 9-5 work schedule . However , the Swiss study also found that during lockdowns , people on average reported worse sleep quality .
Growing evidence is telling us that COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns can have a negative impact on mental health , including more cases of anxiety and depression , presumably due to increased stress and social isolation .
Though poor sleep can raise the risk of mental illness , poor mental health can also adversely affect sleep patterns , and this is why lockdowns may have a negative impact on sleep quality .
“ This unprecedented situation also led to a significant increase in self-perceived burden , which was attendant to the decrease in sleep quality ,” wrote another group of researchers , also in Current Biology .
The good news is that , for anyone worrying about resuming their commutes and re-entering the office rat race , the body will right itself quickly .
“ Our body clocks do have a fantastic ability to adjust over days and weeks , just like when we adjust to new time zones when we travel ,” said Dr Cele Richardson , a researcher at the University of Western Australia ’ s Centre for Sleep Science , to Global Health Asia-Pacific�
She also thinks it helps that almost everyone has been in the same boat , with lockdowns sparking a global debate about workplace efficiency .
“ One of the few positives of this pandemic is that many employers now understand the benefits of a more flexible workplace , and this may have long lasting benefits for our sleep , � she said .
But even when the lockdowns are over , people are likely continue to engage in unhealthy behaviours or ways of thinking , such as worrying excessively about their livelihoods , which can mean sleep problems stick around for the longer term .
In such cases , Dr Richardson advocates professional help from a psychologist trained in cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia .
In terms of sleep , Swiss researchers say that lockdowns have resulted in us getting more sleep on average .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com AUGUST 2021
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